Method and system for automatic adjustment of entitlements in a distributed data processing environment

Abstract

A method, system, and computer program product is presented for restricting access to a set of resources in a distributed data processing system. A server determines a set of authorized resources for which a user is authorized to access; the set of authorized resources is a subset of the set of resources that are operational within the distributed data processing system. An evaluation is made about the availability of the set of authorized resources based upon state information about the set of authorized resources. A list of a set of entitled resources for the user is then generated; the set of entitled resources is a subset of the set of authorized resources. An indication of the set of entitled resources may be sent to the user, after which the system would respond to requests for the user to access the set of entitled resources.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to an improved data processing system and, in particular, to a method and apparatus for multicomputer data transferring. Still more particularly, the present invention provides a method and apparatus for multicomputer distributed resource management. [0003] 2. Description of Related Art [0004] A user registers with an organization to obtain access to online applications that are provided by the organization, such as e-commerce web sites and web applications that perform transactions over computer networks on behalf of the user. The user is associated with a set of entitlements, which are attributes that enable the user to access certain applications, accounts, or other controlled resources. For example, a user may be registered to use an online brokering application, and thereafter, the user may be considered to have an entitlement for the online brokering application. The user may also...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The patent describes a way to restrict access to resources in a distributed data processing system. A server determines which resources a user is allowed to access, and checks if those resources are available for use. The server then generates a list of the user's allowed resources, which can be sent to the user. The user can then request access to those resources. The technical effect of this invention is to improve security and access control in distributed data processing systems.

Problems solved by technology

Current entitlement systems, however, do not consider information about the real-time status of the computing environments in which they operate, which can produce inconsistent performance for the users of those systems.

For example, an application may be unavailable due to failure, due to maintenance, or due to capacity limits that have been reached.

If the user subsequently attempts to access a resource that has been offered but that is not available or that has already been fully loaded, then the user may experience availability problems, which gives the user the impression that the organization's computer systems, e.g., its web site, is not robust.

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